I had the same issue and just broke down and bought new wheels. I had the Mavik Aksyums (sp) and am upgrading to CK R45 hubs and DT-Swiss 585 rims (32 spoke in the back and 28 in the front).. My first set of hand made wheels. I'll keep you posted as to when I get them. I assume they will be stiff enough considering the high spoke count and depth of the rims. The only downfall is that they are relatively heavy (and maybe a bit rough over bumps).. but I'm not a racer and would rather be able to stand up and pedal than have a feather weight bike.
Edit - I failed to mention that I went through the whole brake adjustment process and it was do-able.. I just hated opening the release for up hills...